


Kiss Me In The Rain

by frozengay



Series: Dead To Me One-shots [1]
Category: Dead To Me (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fanfiction, Fluff, Gay, I want Judy Hale to step on me, LGBT, Lesbian, One Shot, charlies LOWKEY clutch, henry is too wholesome for this world, single parent, wingman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24352066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozengay/pseuds/frozengay
Summary: One shot!Jen doesn’t like things that she isn’t sure of, and maybe if things were a romantic comedy life would be so much easier. But shes tough like Jo, and Judy is layered like Tootie and is good no matter what she does, and Jen cant comprehend why she is how she is.OrJen’s grumpy and Judy, with the help of her wingman Charlie, is adamant on changing that.
Relationships: Judy Hale/Jen Harding
Series: Dead To Me One-shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760344
Comments: 3
Kudos: 84





	Kiss Me In The Rain

"Judy, I'm not watching your stupid fucking romantic drama bullshit, for the last fucking time."

"Please Jen, The Notebook's a classic! You watch reruns of Facts of Life with me!"

"That's because Jo's the fucking best, alright? Absolutely underrated and iconic.”

Judy stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, eyes widening as she batted her eyelashes "Pleaaaase, Jen?" 

The blonde crossed her arms headstrong, tilting to look at her best friend beside her on the bed "Nope. No fucking way. Why do you want to watch that bullshit anyway? It's such a cliché."

"So you don't believe in romance?" Judy redirected, her brows furrowing in silent question

"I believe in romance," Jen scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I just... I don't know. Something about those kinds of movies just seems really dressed up to me. Like without all the big gestures the two characters wouldn't actually love each other."

"You've obviously never had a big romantic gesture done for you, then," Judy muses, as if coming to some grand conclusion.

Jen gets a little defensive, eyes narrowing. "And you have?" she retorts.

Judy grins a little with a shrug. "Maybe not anything as crazy as what you see in movies, but that doesn't keep me from wishing someone would sweep me off my feet like that."

Jen scoffs. "I just think it's pretty unrealistic, is all."

"That's the exciting part, though," Judy insists. They're not fighting, and Judy isn't upset by Jen's stubbornness if the way she hasn't stopped smiling is any indication of how she's feeling. "The thought that someone would be so willing to do anything to be with you that they do something a little out of this world?" Judy sighs dreamily. "That's what dreams are made of, Jen."

"What's your dream gesture, then?" 

Judy smiled- no, beamed, at her best friend, leaning her face in the palm of her hand.  
"I want someone to kiss me in the rain like in The Notebook," she hums without hesitation. "And then I want us to go inside and have incredible sex all through the night."

Jen ignored the rush of blood thru her body. "What about you? Any romantic gestures you want to live out someday?"  
“Not really, no," She says, shaking her head and sipping at her wine.

"So you've never thought about kissing someone in the rain or anything like that?"

Jen grimaced. "I just think kissing in the rain would be really cold and wet. Doesn't really sound all that romantic to me."

Judy studied Jen thoughtfully for a moment, long enough that it makes Jen want to squirm under the scrutiny before she finally speaks again. "You and I are very different people, Jen Harding."

Amusement fills the blondes mind at the statement and she grins. "Indeed we are."

Judy grabbed her arm after the blonde had finished her wine, rubbing at the soft skin of her wrist, the soft hitch of her best friend's breath going unnoticed "Youll watch for me?” 

"... fine. Pour me some more damn wine."

-

"I'm so sorry," Judy sobbed out, collapsing to her knees in front of Ted's memorial. A worn out bear that'd been placed there by Henry toppled over, and she just sobbed, grabbing the portrait that sat there and murmuring her apologizes.

Her next move was simple. The blinding lights of a car oncoming was the answer to her endless problems. Well, that her drunken mind could lazily conjure up. Riddled with grief; anger; resentment, she stood. 

She resented the fact that Jen looked at her as if she were a monster. Hated that they could be so happy together one day and the next everything in the past was kicked right back up, ruining all the progress they'd made. But there wasnt a they. Not outside of Judy's mind, at least. 

She dropped the empty bottle of whiskey on the sidewalk, dragging her feet to move herself onto the road, eyes shutting against her own accord as another car came speeding down the road.

The honks and screeching of tires were deafening, awaiting the impact of cold metal against her lithe frame. But it never came. 

"Hey, get out of the road lady!" 

Judy blinked the tears away, swallowing the sound of her heartbeat. A man looked at her like she was crazy from the window his head was popping out of, and maybe she was. But she didn't care as the not-so-familiar chime of Charlie's contact sounded from her pocket. 

With trembling hands she fished her phone out, answering to a hushed voice on the other end. "I need you to come home Judy." 

It was strange that Charlie had called her. Sure, she'd given him her number in case of emergency, but he hadnt ever used it. "U-Um, Charlie? Are you okay?" She tried to keep the drunken slurring to a minimum "Whats going on?"

Charlie sighed into the receiver, "Fuck Judy, just come back, please." 

He hung up, and in a daze she started running back the same way she'd trudged to end it all; letting her wobbly legs carry her the route she'd memorized from the first time she came over.

-

Judy was met with Charlie sitting by the pool, smoking a blunt once she arrived in the backyard. With a curious brow, she sat in the free lounge chair beside him. I don't think you're allowed to be smoking, Charlie." 

He shrugged, taking another puff before speaking "Yeah well, who cares. My mom's been too busy focusing on that stupid fucking stop sign and whatever the hell else is going on to notice." 

Judy gave him a sympathetic look, carefully taking the joint between her two fingers and flicking it to the ground, digging her heel against it. "I care, Charlie." 

He looked back at her, tension visible in his shoulders but managed a smile anyway. A beat passed before Judy spoke up,  
"Why did you tell me to come back?"   
He shrugged once again, looking off in the distance. "My mom's a bitch," he laughed when she shot him a pointed look "More so since you left. I just mean she sits around doing nothing. I hear her crying and she doesnt cry. Not even at my dads funeral." They both cringed at the mention of the man that led them both to where they were. "She pretends everything's okay when me and Henry are awake and around but I know shes bullshitting us. I know she misses you-" he coughed uncomfortably before finishing his sentence "We all... miss you."

Tears pricked at the brunette's warm eyes, threatening to spill over at the teenagers admission. Was it true? Did Jen really need her that much that she would be so upset about her being gone? Or maybe it was just because of her finally admitting to killing the other woman's husband. Either way, she knew she needed to stick around to find out.

"I miss you guys, too." She swallowed the cracking in her voice down and patted his back "Your mom loves you, okay? Shes just struggling right now. I promise it has nothing to do with you or Henry." 

Charlie nodded, standing to his feet after pushing her hand off "Dont make it weird. Just want her off my case. And uh,” he scratched at the back of his neck before giving her a hug, it ending as quickly as it started “Thanks? I guess?” 

She drifted off to sleep that night with the familiar warmth she always had growing in her stomach since meeting the Harding’s. Hope.

-

Jen yawned, casting a wayward glance at her clock. 6:33 am.   
Fuck.   
She grumbled climbing out of bed, not bothering to put a robe on knowing the boys wouldnt be awake for another hour, and to be honest she was just desperate for a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. Or three. 

She hadnt slept well, her mind whirring with a mixture of office work she had to get done and all the lovely duties that being a single parent brought her. And maybe a little bit of Judy too. 

How she was so stupidly sweet no matter how much of a bitch she acted herself. She always went out of her way; especially for her own fucking children. Judy had known them less than a couple months, and somehow she shared a bond with the boys that made her heart clench for some... weird reason. How she looked so adorable after falling asleep ten minutes into a movie, or how sexy she was after they'd had a few drinks. 

She just tried to convince herself the three glasses of wine before bed spurred those on.

She crept down the stairs, mid yawn when she heard a loud bang come from the kitchen. Without hesitation, she quickly picked up the nearest blunt object- Charlie's baseball bat- and quietly continued her descent, blissfully unaware of the peppy brunette cooking up breakfast for the Harding family.

"Get the fuck out i called the cops!” Jen screamed, seemingly in one breath, as she ran into the room with the bat clutched tightly in both hands

Both women jumped a bit;  
Judy with the hot pan in her hand that flattered to the floor;   
And Jen at the sight of her former housemate.

Jen's heart was stuck in her throat, jaw clenching seeing the brunette with that same doe-eyed expression standing across the island at her. It made her stomach lurch and head spin and it all felt too much. 

"Hi, Jen." 

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Her voice was cold, eyes narrowing at the brunette who squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny. Okay, so maybe this wasnt exactly the warm welcoming Charlie had made her think it would be.

Judy took a few confident strides forward, that confidence quickly dwindling at the deadly expression on the blondes face. She reached out and placed a hand on the older woman's arm "Please, Jen. Please just talk to me. I never meant to hurt you... I-" she exhaled sharply thru her nose, digging her nails into the flesh of her free hand with her fingernails "I'm so sorry..."

Something in Jen snapped. her anger reaching a fever pitch "I can't fucking do this right now, Judy." She seethed, snapping her arm away from the brunettes grasp "I can't fucking do this with you ever. Do you know how fucked up and crazy it is to just show up in someone's kitchen? Huh? Do you? You have no right. No fucking right to come back here like none of that shit happened. Like you didn't" she took a deep breath, lowering her voice "kill my fucking husband. You bonded with my boys. I trusted you around them I-I fucking took you in when no one wanted you, and this? This is what you do? Show up in my house like you fucking have the right to? You're crazy. You're batshit off the fucking walls insane. God fucking damnit Judy. I ask you one thing and you can't even do that for me. Just... just-" 

"Hey mom!" Henry came bounding into the kitchen, running full force at his mother. She bent down to absorb some of the impact, and mustered a smile "Hi boop! How'd you sleep?" 

"Good!" He smiled up at her, before his eyes widened with glee at the woman who had managed to bat her tears away at the sight of the little boy "Judy! You're back!" 

He gave her her own bone crushing hug, and she ruffled the tousled curls on his head with a smile toying at her lips. She didn't look at Jen, knowing it would serve to just piss her off more. 

"Take a seat! I made you some pancakes." 

He gleefully took a seat at the island and waited patiently for the stack of chocolate chip pancakes with some sliced strawberries to be placed in front of him. “Here you go,” Judy sang out, her voice the sam chipper tone it always seemed to be. 

Charlie wandered in, rubbing a fist at his tired eyes "God you guys are fucking loud.." 

"Get your fucking ass in the chair and eat." Jen grumbled back, and Charlie, taking notice of the brunette trying to take up as little space as possible in the spacey kitchen, grinned knowingly "Lovers squabble?" He asked, receiving a slap to the back of his head   
"Shut the hell up." 

Judy smiled apologetically to the oldest Harding boy, placing a stack of pancakes in front of him.

She heard a ding and took the mug of black coffee with two shots of espresso. Offering it sheepishly to the stoney faced blonde who accepted it without a trace of gratefulness. 

As the boys were busy wolfing down their breakfast and sparsely discussing video games,  
Judy let her eyes travel the length of her best friend- former best friend's body. She was gorgeous. Her hair was a bit frizzy, and her eyes were still sunken from sleep, but she was gorgeous. The way her hands wrapped around her mug reminded her of how they'd wrap around her arm when she was sobbing relentlessly and needed to hold onto Judy like it was her last means to survival.

"I have a long day at work, i don't know when I'll be home." pulling Judy from her thoughts; Jen spoke, more for herself then her sons "I'll leave some money on the counter so you guys can order a pizza or whatever..." she grumbled, sipping at her coffee and relishing at the smoothness of it. Judy may be the biggest pain in her ass but she knew how to make a good brew.

"Oh I could whip something up, no problem!" Said pain in her ass chimed in, excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet "No." Jen hummed out, emptying her coffee, tossing it in the sink and making her way to the staircase

Judy smiled sadly, drinking at her own coffee and picking at the crusts of her toast.

Jen 7:52 am   
I expect you gone by the time I'm home.

-

So maybe the Californian weather really was a product of Judy's wacky voodoo fucking bullshit. Because itd gone from being sunny the past month to a torrential downpour. 

Jen grumbled out a string of curses as she fumbled with the keys in her purse, sheltering herself under the descended roof of her office building.  
The palm trees swayed in the rain and wind storm, lightning flickering thru the dark sky.  
After she had found her keys, she quickly made a beeline to her car, hopping in and shaking some of the raindrops off her hands before bringing the car to life and setting off home. 

She sent a quick text to Charlie, letting her know she was on her way home and to get off his laptop he was nodoubetetly on since school let out. 

After making it home she made her way into the house, sighing at the dimly lit kitchen awaiting her. It was as empty and as cold as the sky currently was. She quickly plucked up the nearly empty bottle of wine, discarding the glass in the cupboard and drinking it straight from the mouth. The few swigs weren’t enough to even give her a buzz, but the wine momentarily cooled her overworked mind, and yet she couldn't rid the guilt bumbling in her stomach that was causing a rush of anxiety thru her veins at the realization that Judy didn't drive. She didn't have a house or anywhere to stay. No money, even. And now she was out there-somewhere in the storm that just seemed to be getting worse by the minute.   
Maybe it was a clap of thunder, but Jen could've sworn that it had sounded like someone was at her door. 

Blinking back the tears she hadn't realized were at a brink of spilling, she slid off the stool and made her way to the door, swinging it open to reveal a patient Judy waiting with a bottle of wine.

"Judy? What are you-"   
Jen swallowed thickly, eyes wildly travelling the brunette's body to see if she was hurt "What are you doing here?" She finished, satisfied with her search that the girl wasnt wounded. Still, showing up at the house she was so unwelcome from might be caused by some form of mental deficit.

"Knowing you has been the longest few months of my life," Judy tells her in response. Jen looks taken aback, surprise and slight offense in her features obvious from her place in the doorway.  
"Excuse the fuck out of me?" She barked out, affronted.

"I don't know why we get along," Judy continued, unperturbed. "We're completely different. I hate how you never make me breakfast, and you get so violently angry whenever I do something that sets you off in the slightest. You're closed off and yet so caring and Jesus Christ you opened your home- your family up to me, and I've been walking on eggshells too afraid to tell you what I want."

Jen just stared at Judy as she rambled, looking more and more shocked by each word that comes out of the dark haired woman's mouth.

Judy pushes forward with her thoughts, unable to stop and determined. Maybe even a little afraid that if Jen interrupted her she wouldn’t be able to continue. "Because yeah, the past few months since we've started hanging out have been so emotionally draining and long, but they've also been the best months of my life." Judy laughs, probably a little deliriously, and covers her face for a second to gather her thoughts. "And fuck, Jen, I must have lost my damn mind when I listened and left you all alone after promising not to and never told you why, because you don’t do that to somebody you love.”

Jen's breath definitely and noticeably hitches at Judy's admission, and the latter feels a huge weight being lifted off her chest at the words.

"You love me?" Jen asks quietly, her own words dizzying. "But- you and Steve." She couldn’t help the bite in her voice at the name "You fucked him, Judy, you wanted to get back together with him for the love of god I- how the fuck could you love me? You're good and the literal fucking encompassment of warmth. I'm a fucking bitch."

Judy shakes her head quickly to dismiss the other woman’s words. "No, I was just scared before. I was scared of losing my best friend- my family. The only one I’ve ever known, and now I know without a doubt that I want you. I want you for worse or for better, Jen, and I know that I broke your heart when I told you about what I did to Ted, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to put it back together," Judy laughs again, gesturing around her. "I mean, I'm standing out in the rain confessing my love to you like we're in a shitty cliche romance movie."

Jen laughs at that, albeit a bit watery. Judy smiles at the sound and grows a little more serious, taking a few calculated steps forward. “I would honestly wait for you forever and ever. Even if you spent all of it hating me. I've spent so much time trying to help you and your boys heal from my own faults, but somewhere along the way I fell in love with you. all of you. I don't want to imagine a world where I live without you guys because i think it might genuinely kill me. So I’m asking,” she exhaled, a cloud of her breath dancing with the wind “I'd like to come home, if that's alright with you."

There are tears streaming down Jen's face by the time Judy is finished speaking, and Judy is about to apologize and crawl her way back to the 24/7 Denny's in defeat when Jen speaks.

"You really love me?" She asks, her voice smaller then either had ever heard it as she moved from leaning on the doorframe. She wrapped herself in her arms tightly, her body practically screaming its insecurity. 

Judy nods her head earnestly, biting at her lip. "I really love you," 

The next thing Judy knows, Jen is rushing out to join her in the rain and kissing her like her life depends on it. And maybe it did. Judy's hands come up to cup Jen's cheeks while Jen's arms wrap around the slightly smaller girl, the rain coming down like a blanket around them. Jen has to resist the urge to laugh at how ridiculously cheesy the whole scene really was, but she decides that she can't really mind, not when Judy is kissing her and the cold might honestly be causing her to develop hypothermia.

Judy breaks the kiss and leans her forehead against Jen's, both of them panting in an effort to steady their breathing. "I love you, too," Jen breathes, and relief floods Judy's entire body at the words. She laughs and can't help but press a few more brief kisses to the blondes smiling lips.

Jen held the slightly shorter girl close, feeling like her heart was going to burst from the simple affection and that if she let go she might collapse. She hadnt felt this way ever. Not even with Ted. He gave her the boys, but she would always resent him for looking at her like an enigma. "I'm sorry for yelling," she murmured into brown locks that smelled like her shampoo; making a mental note to ask her when she'd managed to sneak it later; "It's okay," Judy replies back, squeezing her best friend tighter. "It's all gonna be okay."

Jen has to resist the whine bubbling in her throat when Judy pulls away, glancing up at the sky with an adorably wrinkled nose before tugging at the interlaced hand woven with hers to pull her inside the house, the two of them laughing the entire time.

"Now it’s your turn to join me for some wine and Facts of Life, tootie."Jen teased, shutting the door behind them and the past.


End file.
